Just a little girl
by Morwenlalaith
Summary: Cathy Gamgee and Pippin Took. Oh my, what a pair. When you add the incorrigible Merry, clever Frodo, shy Sam, refined Estella, kind Rosie, plus a few young friends, and what do you get? A strong friendship and a troublesome gang.
1. Default Chapter

**Chapter one: A walk with the gang.**

Author's rambling part: Ah-ha-ha. This is my prized story. It is my precious! MINE! MY PRECIOUS! But I'm sharing it with you. 'Tis a tale of friendship, bravery, of savage dogs and seriously pissed off farmers. But above all, it is a story that shows that girls are not lower down that boys, and that we too, can have spirit.

Oh my word, that sounded so corny. But anyway, this story is about girls and boys being friends and coping with that. And 'tis also about Middle Earth, the Shire, and the adventures that went on in it.

And above all, 'TIS NOT A MARY-SUE! If you think that it is getting too Mary Sue-ish, please tell me, and if I think the idea's reasonable I will change it. But you have to tell me how to edit chapters, because I have not got a friggin' clue.

Rating: This chapter is specifically G. Because it is kind of cute fluff, apart from a horrid grandmother and three savage dogs (who are not fluff). But in later chapters it goes up to PG – 13. At least, that is what the people on Council of Elrond say, and I trust their judgement. After all, they've been doing this shtick longer than me. (If you want to see me stories on Council of Elrond (and preview this), my pen name is Morwenlalaith (And yes, before you ask, my father will be hunting me down and sprinkling me over my head-teachers oatmeal, ala Hawkeye).

Characters; HOBBITS! GALORE! WHEEEEEE! Aren't you glad that I provide you with them?

Disclaimer: **Author grabs a megaphone**: TOLKIENS WORK IS NOT MIIIINE! 'TIS NOT MINE! I AM KEEPING IT HOSTAGE! IT SHALL NEVER BE RELEASED! MWAHAHAHAHAHAAAAAAAAA! Okay, manic time over.

Seriously thought, Tolkiens work is not mine. But I invented Cath Gamgee. She is Sam Gamgee's little sister, and two years younger than Pippin. So Cath would be six, Pippin would be eight, Merry fourteen, Sam sixteen and Frodo twenty-seven.

A/N: **I know that Sam and Cath would not have gone out of the Shire. I also know Samdidn't go out beyond a certain part of the Shire. The first chapter was written when I had nothing to do, so please do not yell at me for that. I apologise for that, and you can pretend that it's a different forest that they're in.**

Oh gee, this has been a long rambling. But anyways, on with the show! Enjoy, and…gum-by! (Henry from MASH has weird phrases)

* * *

"But I want to go with you!" 

Sam turned round and glared in exasperation at the small figure glaring resolutely back at him. His six year old sister stood strident in front of the coat hanger, her angelic face glowing with anger. Frodo suppressed a smirk as he remembered the fact that Cath's chubby face and bright eyes caused most people to underestimate the little scamp. Just once.

Sam groaned, half in annoyance, half in sympathy. "I'm _sorry_, Cathy girl, but you can't come with us this time. Remember the mess we got into last time?"

This time Frodo could not stop himself from bursting out laughing at the memory of Margaret's (Sam and Cath's grandmother, from the father's side) face when Cath came home, sopping wet and looking very 'unladylike'. Needless to say, Margaret was not very amused. But Frodo was denied the further pleasures of the memory by a sharp rap on the door. He skirted round the small hobbit lass, and opened the door. It was Merry and Pippin, Pippin uncomfortably squirming from Merry's pincer-like grip on his hand.

"But I'm _eight_! I don't need you holding my hand!"

"Hullo Frodo," Merry grinned, shaking Pippin into submission. Then he looked down and the grin vanished. "Ah," he muttered, glancing down at Cath. "I assume Cath wants to come with us."

"Aye," Frodo chuckled, "But according to Margaret that would be too.."

"Unladylike!" the two chorused.

Pippin glared up at the two tweenagers and managed to slide out of Merry's grip, landing in a heap in front of Cath, "Hullo Cath," He blinked, "We're going to the Old Forrest! Even Sam, and he's a _real_ scaredy-cat, isn't he Merry?"

"Pippin!" Merry hissed, taking a swipe at his cousin, "Shut up!"

Pippin stared at him, "Then why did you say….."

"Master Merry?" Cath interrupted, using her sweetest, and therefore most deadliest, voice, "Are you taking Master Pippin with you?"

Merry and Sam exchanged glum looks, "Yes, but..."

He didn't have time to finish. Cath spun her head from one side to the other, glaring in turn at all four hobbit lads. Pippin actually flinched.

"Well, hullo to you too Cath."

"Then why can't I go?" Cath snapped, ignoring Pippin, "I'm only two years younger than Master Pippin, and I complain an awful lot less!"

Pippin glared at her, then shot back at her with, "Well, you're only not coming because you're a silly girl!"

I don't think anyone understood at that moment how much that remark stung for Cath. Her hands were slowly clenching, her skinny frame was stiffening, and Sam, who knew his little sister, put his hand on her shoulder, gently but firmly, just to show her that this was not the time to go tearing Pippins head off in an angry rage.

Footsteps coming from the larder made the elder four turn their heads, distracting them from Cath. Which was a shame, because they, especially Pippin, would have seen something of interest.

"Morning chaps!" Bilbo called cheerfully, arms laden with pies and sugared fruits, "I got these for you to eat on your walk...Why Cathy? What on earth's wrong?"

Four curly-haired heads spun round to Cath again, where, to their surprise, the little hobbit-lass was gulping back sobs.

" Th-they," A chubby little finger suddenly whipped out and pointed at the lads, " don't want me to..to come... and if I d-don't come then I'll have to go to Grandmother's tea party...and I hate the tea parties...'Cause all the...the ladies say horrid thing about all my friends..and say how ungrateful I am...and how I'm stupid...w-with being a tomboy...'c-cause they...they hate tomboys...and they say that it's m-my fault that I'm not a girl...and Master P-Pippin said that I couldn't come because I was a girl!"

The last part she blurted out in a rush, half sobs, half words, then she buried her head in her handkerchief and started to cry again.

Bilbo nodded slowly. He knew what Margaret Gamgee's tea-parties were apt to be like. But at the moment he was more concerned about what Pippin had said.

"I don't think," he said, slowly, " that you should have said that, Pippin."

Pippin was taken aback. Bilbo knew that, for all their squabbles, Pippin and Cath were good and firm friends. Many times he had seen Pippin fall over badly, and instead of going to Merry, running to Cath, who acted more than her age in sensibility and care. Making her cry, Bilbo knew, was not something to be taken lightly.

"But I didn't mean to!" exclaimed Pippin, "I didn't mean it Cathy, I wasn't really being horrid, I was just a bit irritated, and I didn't mean to make you cry, honest; and what did you mean they say it's your fault you're a girl?" He ended with confusion.

Cath opened her screwed up eyes and looked around in horror. Merry and Pippin were looking at her expectantly. Sam sighed in exasperation.

"We'll tell you later. Don't groan like that Cathy girl, you've let it out now, they'll want to know, an' you'll have to accept that. Now are you going to face Grandmother's tea party like a good girl?"

"I guess," Cath said dolefully, " Of course it wouldn't be as much fun as with you lot, or Mama or Nana, but I'll put up with it. Will you take me next time?"

"Alright, " grinned Merry cheerfully, "When we aren't going into the Old Forrest." Seeing Sam's irritated face he just shrugged, "Well, she needs a break."

Bilbo made to close the door but looked out towards three, Bagshot Row, where the Gamgees lived.

"Why, it's Ponto Goodbody, the Healer!" he cried happily, "Going to see the Gamgees, eh?"

Ponto nodded happily, "Just going to see….."

"CATH!" Merry yelled, very loudly, "I've just realised!"

Cath blinked up at Merry, "What?"

"Ummm…ummm," Merry shifted uncomfortably, "I….I realised….that…..that…..Sam?" Sam glared at him, "Oh, Sam doesn't know…..Frodo! _You_ know what I was trying to say? _Don't you_?" He glared pleadingly at his older cousin.

"Erm, it might be a good idea if you did come with us Cath," said Frodo, rather nervously, "We don't want you getting in Ponto's way, do we?"

"Yay!" Cath squealed, punching the air. She was halfway through hugging Frodo when she jerked her head up and said, rather suspiciously, "But why is Ponto coming to our house? He's a healer, and nobody's sick at home, are they Sammy?"

"Don't worry about that," Sam said hurriedly, "Now come on, or we'll never get there."

"Good!" the hobbit lass nodded vigorously, "I did pack my own bag you know."

"Well done!" Merry laughed, the colour slowly subsiding from his face, "That's very good….how did _you_ know you'd be coming?"

Cath shrugged, and let herself be propelled through the door. Bilbo turned to the older two and said, "Haven't you said anything? About your mother, Sam?"

"No sir," He sighed , "Ponto doesn't know what the illness is, all we know is that she's dying. Cath hasn't noticed that Ponto's been coming every week, we always get her outside. And we just say that Mum's tired."

"Ah. Well it would be kinder to tell her, otherwise it'll be a terrible shock. Go and catch up, both of you."

He watched them dash outside, and fixed his eye on young Cath, now swinging from Frodo and Merry's arms.

"Lord bless that child." he murmured quietly.

0000000000000

"There's Mrs Heatherton! And Bill Brockhouse! And...oh, get down!"

"What for?" Merry asked Cath, who was staring round the corner of the street they were walking down.

"Cause Lobelia Sackville-Baggins is walking down the road," Cath grimaced, but with a wink at Frodo as the five ducked behind a bush, while Lobelia walked up the road, "She's probably going to Grandmother's tea-party to discuss what an ungrateful little swine I am. Or maybe they're going to plan how steal Bag End off you and MisterBilbo, Mister Frodo."

"Maybe," said Frodo, chuckling, "Look she's gone now, so we'd better hurry if we want to get to Bywater Pool by lunch-time."

Hurry they did, and sat down to eat their lunch. It was only when they had sat down next to the three-farthing stone, and Cath had remarked "Why is it called 'Three Farthing Stone' anyway? There are four farthings!" and Sam was explaining (not very well) why, that Pippin remembered.

"So what did you mean when you said that it was your fault that you're a girl? 'Cause Sam said he'd tell us later and now is later."

"Now isn't later," Cath said sullenly, "Now is now, later is later."

"But later then is now now, and so now is then."

Merry, the more observant of the two, noticed that Cath had suddenly buried her head in her bag, as though looking for something. But her eyes did not look, and a single tear seeped out, a tear that only Merry saw.

"Well," said Sam, pausing as though he was not sure quite how to say it, " Grandmother never really liked Mother to begin with. Said she liked Tooks and Brandybucks too much," (Bella Gamgee's best friend was Esmerelda Brandybuck, Merry's mother), "But she said that, fine, you can marry my son, but only if you go by my traditions. One of which was that both the eldest and youngest child had to be boys."

Merry made a face, having quite recently been acquainted with the 'facts of life', "That's just……"

So Mum and Dad had me, an' the Marigold, and when Mum got pregnant again Grandmother said, fine, but only if it's a boy. Well, Mother had Cathy-girl, and my brothers and sisters were real glad, and Mister Bilbo, and Mister Frodo, and all the Cottons and all our friends were as happy as could be. And Nana, me, Mum and Dad were real happy too." He put his arm round Cath, who was still staring into her bag, "But us lot knew that Grandmother was not going to be happy.

It was really scary what happened next. Me and Nick Cotton hid under the table, so he knew everything."

"What did your grandmother do?"

"She went mad. She yelled at Mum, saying that it was her fault, that she said that she'd have the youngest as a boy, that Mum had broken her promise. Mum was awful upset, but Nana and Dad defended her. She really did need defending, 'cause Grandmother threw a pot at her. That was scary."

"How awful," muttered Pippin.

"I know. But all through Cath's life Grandmother has been bullying her, saying that it was her fault that she was a boy, until she believed her.

At Cath's fourth birthday came round, Grandmother changed her track. From then on she's been pulling and prodding her into being a fine young woman. But it hasn't worked very well."

There was a silence, while Cath sniffed a bit and Pippin and Merry sat and thought. How awful it must be, to have a Grandmother who despised you because you were a girl!

Finally the silence was broken by Frodo saying,

"Erm, shall we get on then?"

None of them answered, just got to their feet and started walking. It was nearly 11 o'clock by the time they found a good camp spot, and when they went to sleep, the last thing Merry heard was Cath snuffling into her pillow.

000000000000000

"Well that was good wasn't it?" Frodo asked enthusiastically.

The others nodded happily. It had taken them another two days to get to the Old Forest, and when they eventually did get there, it took a good quarter of an hour trying to get Pippin to go in the massive place. He "wasn't scared of the forest just of the trees". Cath had laughed, but secretly agreed with him. The trees were tall and menacing, and she could have sworn that some of them moved.

"What are you thinking of, Cath?" asked Pippin.

"Nothing." Cath said, grinning.

0000 Flashback! 0000

"Hurry up Pippin, it's not that high!" shouted Merry, "There you go. See not far at all, eh?"

Pippin nodded half-heartedly, glanced nervously at Cath, who instead of clinging to an older relative was sitting quite freely on the branch, swinging her legs wildly.

"Look, Master Pippin, you can see across the lake from here. Hurry up Sammy, it's easy to get up from here. I'll help you up."

Sam glanced up from the branch he was currently resting on. "It's easy for you to say 'it's easy'. And don't try and help me up or I might fall..."

Too late. Cath had grabbed the nearest hand and pulled, transferring Sam's' hand from a sturdy branch to a not so sturdy arm. Before she had the chance to pull, Sam had fallen out of the tree, into a pile of waiting bushes.

Cath and Pippin both burst out laughing, grabbing the side branches so as not to fall to the same fate as their companion. Merry was keeping a straight face, though for how much longer nobody could say. Frodo sighed, looking down at the disgruntled Sam.

"Honestly Cath, when will you learn? Don't worry Sam I'll help you out of..."

"Don't do that, Mister Frodo!" Cath yelped, "Oh…..never mind then."

As Frodo climbed down he rested all his weight on one branch. It was quite a pity, however, that it was the branch that Sam had crashed into on his decent down. Another hobbit crashed down to his doom.

This time there were no polite straight faces. The three younger hobbits were nearly crying with laughter. Eventually Merry looked down at two VERY put out hobbits.

"Come on then." he chuckled, "Have another go."

0000 End Flashback! 0000

Cath groaned, rubbing her back.

"Someone should put a sign up or something in there," she grumbled, "It's very painful!"

Merry winced, remembering.

0000 Flashback! 0000

"Come on, you two," Cath yelled at Sam and Merry.

"We aren't silly!" Sam called back, while looking down at the roots that Frodo, Pippin and Cath were clambering over, "In case you haven't noticed Cathy, those 'harmless roots' are hanging over a huge pit!"

"Aww, come on Sam!" Pippin laughed, "It's not that bad!" He sat down, "He really _is_ a scaredy-cat, Cath!"

"Hey!" Cath glared indignantly, "_Master Merry_ isn't coming either!"

"Another round of 'My relative's better than yours'." Merry groaned.

"It's not exactly that deep Sammy. Look, I'll see for you!" His sister yelled, poking her head between a gap. "See, it's not that deep, only twelve-feet dee..."

Frodo groaned, dragging a couple of roots out the way and stared down.

"You IDIOT, Cath!" Sam yelled, dashing over to the hole where Cath had fell down. Cath looked up from the bottom of the twelve foot deep pit.

"Sammy," She grinned, "It is quite comfortable down here."

"Are you all right Cath?" asked Merry trying hard not to laugh again.

Cath thought for a bit before saying "It hurts to fall into a pit."

Pippin thought for a moment. "I know! We could just leave her there!"

Merry groaned. This was going to be a LONG walk.

0000 End Flashback! 0000

Merry shook his head, grinning at the attempts to get Cath out of the pit. His curly hair whipped into his eyes, making him yelp.

Frodo noticed, "Come on Merry, getting your hair in your eyes isn't usually that painful!"

"Yeah, but then my hair isn't usually sopping wet, is it, PIPPIN?" Merry scowled at his cousin.

Frodo sighed. He remembered.

0000 Flashback! 0000

"How do you properly skim stones, Master Merry?" Sam muttered, as another stone flopped into the water.

"Well you aren't supposed just to lob them like that," Merry answered, "You're supposed to flick your wrist and let go, just like that."

"OK," Sam said, sailing a stone into the middle of the lake, "But that was a pretty light stone, you and Mister Frodo can skim really heavy stones."

"You need a lot of practice to do that," Frodo informed him, "Heavy stones are very tricky to skim. They usually just flop."

"I can skim heavy stones can't I, Merry!" called Pippin, standing a way back from the bank.

"Of course you can Pip." Merry called back.

Pippin nodded smugly, tossed the stone he was holding a couple of times, took aim, and threw.

The stone sailed through the air, heading towards its destination in the lake. However the stone hit an obstruction. That obstruction being Merry.

"Ow!" yelped Merry, as the flying stone hit him. "What the...Arrgh!" He teetered off balance for a second, and it looked like he'd be alright. But as he slid forward his arm caught Cath in the head, causing her to crash into Sam, who in turn bumped into Frodo.

Pippin stood stock still as the entire party tumbled into the water. Then as Merry and Cath both turned in irritation to glare at the young Took, he burst into unstoppable giggles.

Merry sighed. "Okay Cath," he said, turning to the lass, "I'll hold him, and you can punch."

"Hey...er...guys..." stuttered Pippin, as the two got to their feet and headed towards him, "Err.. I didn't mean..."

Frodo looked on as the two proceeded to chase after Pippin, fists raised. "Well," he said, turning to a sopping wet Sam, "I recon that by the next hour we should have Perigrin Took hanging up in the nearest tree."

0000 End Flashback! 0000

"D'you think Grandmother will be angry that I'm so wet, Sammy?" asked Cath, grinning.

"I wouldn't doubt it," he replied, squeezing water out of his coat, "She'll also be mad for you tearing your coat, making your hair looking like a birds nest, and getting scratches on every part of your face."

Cath grinned.

The two siblings turned simultaneously towards Merry, who was trying without success to hide a yawn.

"I'm sorry," he said, noticing the stares from the two, "But I'm awfully tired. Couldn't we take a short-cut?"

"The only short-cut I know of is through Framer Maggots farm, and you couldn't make me go in there if you paid me. His dogs are more savage than a cave full of goblins, and the man himself would gladly slice open any trespassers he came across." declared Frodo with a decided air.

"Oh come on Frodo!" argued Merry, "He's not that bad, and if we carry on this road we'll be getting to Bag End next week!"

Frodo looked around. Pippin and Cath were, as always, eager for an adventure. Sam, however, was looking petrified at the very thought. It was true, though, that this road took them the long way round, so the only thing to do was to say, "Oh, all right, but on your own head be it, and don't blame me if old Maggoty chops off your head with that axe he always carries round."

"Good! Alright guys, come on then!"

Pippin and Cath dashed off, eager to be the first ones to get there. Sam was not joining in the general chase, but rather staring at Frodo as though the tweenager was completely mad.

0000000000000000000

"I don't care what you say, Master Merry, this is a really bad idea!"

"Relax Sam!" came the nonchalant reply as the young Brandybuck lifted up another bag of mushrooms, "After all, Farmer Maggot has so much of the stuff that he'll never notice if a few bags are gone! There are mountains of the stuff!"

Sam groaned. A simple walk was turning out to be a disaster.

It had turned out with Pippin chasing a sparrow out of the field; right into the path of one of the Maggots largest storehouses. Merry and Pippin were both looking at it happily, when Cath, who had been lagging behind, suddenly came up to their side and, without noticing the storehouse, started out about being 'starving'. Well that was it. If Cath was hungry, then Merry and Pippin would just have to get some food for the poor girl, wouldn't they? And any other little titbits would just be an added bonus.

"Come on! You've got all your food, if Cath has one more pea she'll burst, and we can't stay here any longer!" Frodo moaned, who was looking anxiously round the corner of one of the food mountains.

"Alright! Alright! Honestly you Bagginess are such scaredy cats!" Merry easily dodged the punch from Frodo, swaggered round the corner, looked up, and sped back round again.

"What is it now?"

"Farmer Maggot. And he's got all of his dogs with him." Merry gulped. Cath peered round, and sure enough, there was the farmer with Grip, Fang and Wolf, the three terrifying dogs the farmer owned.

"We'll never make it out of here alive," Sam moaned.

"Nonsense," Merry reassured him, " He's only coming to check the stock. All we have to do is just wait for him to leave and we can run."

Sam was about to give a sarcastic reply when a loud voice made them all jump. "I know you're in here you scally-wags!" It boomed, "You can't stay here forever. I'll catch you!"

"Oh perfect! What do we do know, oh great and knowledgeable Master Meriadoc Brandybuck?" Frodo snapped.

Merry beckoned, "Follow me."

They followed him round the other side to where a tall window was situated. Without talking, Cath Pippin and Sam jumped out, taking the bags with them. As Frodo was pushed up by Merry, Farmer Maggot's voice burst out.

"THERE YOU ARE! Wait 'till I get my hands on you!"

As the two cowered, Pippin's head popped up. "What are you two waiting fo...oh yikes."

Farmer Maggot opened his mouth, probably to yell a command to his dogs, when suddenly Frodo yelled "Now!" Merry leapt up through the window, Frodo fast on his heels, and with Merry grabbing Cath and Pippin by the scruff of the necks, Frodo yanking up Sam, the five scrambled down the hill, with the three dogs in hot pursuit and the farmer struggling through the window.

"Hurry up, he's gaining!" yelped Sam, "Come on, down this hill!"

"Not there Sam!" shouted Merry, "It's too stee...arrgh!"

The other three gave yells of surprise as they too plunged down the steep hill after Merry and Sam. They tumbled down one after the other, the bags of stolen goods tumbling after them, crashing about them.

"Arrgh! Ouch! Eeeoow! Oooof!"

The five's journey came to an abrupt stop as Sam's head crashed into the ground, and the rest landed next to him. The two younger ones moaned as they help their various cuts and bruises, then simultaneously whipped their heads up to glare at Merry. Frodo, however, immediately stared up the hill, checking if the enemy was near. Finally he looked down again.

"It's alright, he's gone. Merry, why did you go in there! Honestly, if you would just think for two seconds you would realise that some things can actually be dangerous. Can't you just grow up?"

Merry, who had got over the fright of being faced with Farmer Maggot, just shrugged lazily. "Cath was hungry. You didn't want her to be upset did you? Besides, Pippin wanted to go in there just as much as me, and I don't see you berating him."

Pippin cowered from his elder cousin, but Frodo only snapped, "Pip didn't know better, you did. I don't see why you always try to take the easy way out and blame someone else."

As the two bickered, Sam, who had been worrying quite badly since they had fell,  
interrupted, " Umm….Master's, don't you think that….when you said the Farmer was gone, he may have gone down here a non-steep way, and be watching us with those three maniac dogs."

Merry swallowed, all trace of valour gone beyond recall, "You're right. Come on you guys, we don't want an encounter with old Farmer Maggot, do we?"

"That's what I've been saying...well come on!" Frodo muttered angrily.

As they walked, with the two older hobbits arguing with the next youngest, Cath and Pippin shook their heads at the stupidity of their elders.

00000000000000000000

"Your Grandmother is going to slaughter you when she finds out you've been going into the Old Forrest," grinned Merry, as they trudged through Hobbiton, "But I guess you'll have about an hour to escape, she'll be ready for another tea-party round about now."

"Yeah I guess. But if...Oooh, hello Rosie! Hello Essy!" she suddenly shrieked, as Rosie Cotton and Estella Bolger came walking round the corner. Pippin and Frodo couldn't help but snigger as they watched Sam turn a bright red as he said hello to Rosie. Merry sniggered along, but his toughness disappeared in an instant as Estella greeted him.

"I've been going into the Old Forrest!" Cath announced proudly, now being carried in Estella's arms.

"Honestly!" murmured the hobbit lass, "And you're soaking wet too! You have been taking care of her, I hope?" she finished, looking sternly at Merry. There was a coy smile on her face that had won the heart of the hobbit lads she came across, and Merry was no exception.

"Oh, err, yes of course we have! She's fine, honest!" swallowed Merry, rather nervously, swallowing with embarrassment, and his face turning an even brighter shade of red.

"That's why I fell down a hole, got soaking wet and got chased by Farmer Maggot!" Cath said cheerfully, "It was fun too!"

"Heh……" Merry grinned nervously, "She's…..she's exaggerating really…."

Frodo chuckled. "The great and brave master Merry is so brave when he comes up against three demons in dog form, and a cave-troll in the shape of a farmer, and then trembles at the first simple word from a mere girl that's a year younger than him!" he muttered, loud enough for Pippin and Merry to both hear, but nobody else. Pippin sniggered, while Merry glowered, a promise of a fight when they got back to Bag End on his face.

"We'd better get you home. Or to Bag End. Is Mum awake?" Sam asked Rosie. Rosie knew what that meant.

"She's still asleep. You go with the boys Cath, and take care of them!" It was a common joke that the four could not cope without Cath to 'take care' of them.

As the two girls carried on down the road, Estella could hear Cath saying, "You know, if Mum doesn't wake up soon, she'll go on sleeping forever."

It was a sinister proclamation, though nobody knew it then.

* * *

Sometimes I feel you're not listening  
Sometimes I feel you don't understand  
But I think I've got the answer  
Already know what you're gonna say 

'Cause I'm just a little girl you see  
But there's a hell of a lot more to me  
Don't ever underestimate what I can do  
Don't ever tell me how I'm meant to be  
You say I'm just a little girl, just a little girl

How can I compare? What do I know?  
What have I got to share?  
But there's nothing in this world, nothing in this world  
That could hold me down, can't you hear me?  
Don't you understand  
That I wanna be myself, wanna be the girl,  
Wanna be the one that you can rely on  
How I wish that you could see all there is of me  
How I long to hear that you take me  
For who I am

'Cause I'm just a little girl you see  
But there's a hell of a lot more to me  
Don't ever underestimate what I can do  
Don't ever tell me how I'm meant to be

'Cause I'm just a little girl you see  
But there's a hell of a lot more to me  
Don't ever underestimate what I can do  
Don't ever tell me how I'm meant to be  
Sometimes I feel you're not listening  
Sometimes I feel you don't understand

'Cause I'm just a little girl you see  
But there's a hell of a lot more to me  
Don't ever underestimate what I can do  
Don't ever tell me how I'm meant to be

'Cause I'm just a little girl you see  
But there's a hell of a lot more to me  
Don't ever underestimate what I can do  
Don't ever tell me how I'm meant to be

Lyrics; Just a Little Girl, by Amy Studt


	2. Changes

Hello my adoring fans! (Yes, one person is a multitude of adoring fans, I tell you!) To knight-that-says-ni: Thankyou very much! I've seen that film, and it would be cool if Cath could turn out like Jo. (P.S. Cath says thankyou 4 the review, and that she won't punch you.)

I didn't really know if this was a good chapter, but I'm not good at writing very emotionally. You'll just have to tell me if I do or not! (Ok, cheap shot at getting a review, I know!)

* * *

"CATH! DAD WANTS YOU TO COME INTO THE STUDY!" yelled Sam. Cath winced as she and Nana stepped into the hall of number three, Bagshot road. She then grinned.

"Sam, Sam," she sighed, patting her brother on the back, "Don't wear out your throat when you'll be wanting to go on and on and on and on about Rosie." She dodged the coat thrown at her, and stepped into the study.

"You called, Da?" she asked, feeling curious. The study was the "serious" room in the Gamgee house-hold, and she only went in there to be told of trouble.

Hamfast "Gaffer" Gamgee patted his knee, and Cath sat down, her fathers arm around her.

"Love; it's about your mother. She's terrible sick, and even Ponto Goodbody, who's the best healer I've ever seen, can't cure her."

"What?" Cath gasped, stunned. "But, she'll be alright, won't she? I mean, she'll live, won't she? Won't she? Dad?"

Hamfast paused, "No, Catharine. She won't."

As the Gaffer explained, Cath felt a chill in the pit of her stomach. Her mother, who was always there to look after her, die? It couldn't be true. She looked round, needing a let on her anger. She found one.

"Why didn't you tell me of this before," she answered icily.

Hamfast stopped, "Love?"

"Why didn't you tell me? You always keep me in the dark, even when it's about

my own mum! You're as bad as Grandmother!" And with that she fled from the study, through the hall, and out, running into the streets of Hobbiton, and crashing into Frodo.

"Hey, where's the fire?" he laughed jokingly. His smile slipped from his face at the sight of Cath's anguished one.

"Cath? What's the matter?" A dawn of realisation came onto his face, "Is it your mother? Have you been told?"

She looked up, glaring at him. "So you've been told? Why can't anyone tell me about things, ever, even when it's about my own mother dying!"

Frodo's heart sank. She had been told then.

Cath was sobbing desperately now, "It's not fair, Mum said she'd always be there for me, whenever I was in trouble! Now she'll die before I even hit my tweens, and she can't die Frodo, she can't! She said she'd be there for all of us, she won't be now, and I want her to be well again! I want to help her, but I can't, and Grandmother said that Mum would die of the shame of having me for a child, so it's my fault! " She made to run away again, but Frodo caught her and sat her down beside him on the grass. She flung her arms round his neck, and sobbed until she couldn't. Frodo grabbed both of her shoulders and looked at her sad eyes.

"Cath, you can't change what's going to happen. Neither is it your fault."She looked up at Frodo, "But Grandmother said..."

"Cath, when was the last time you listened to anything that your Grandmother said?" She giggled, "Listen, I know how you're feeling. You remember that my mother and father died when I was twelve, don't you?"

She nodded, "I know, but at least you didn't have to go through all the waiting, and you didn't know it was going to happen."

"I know, and I know that that makes it harder to bear. But Cath, your Mum will need all the support she can get. Imagine how she feels, marching towards her own death?"

Cath winced, "Don't say that Frodo, it's horrible."

"Yes, but for your Mum it's ten times worse. Spend time with her, and try to take her mind of it. She'll want never to think about it if possible."

"I guess. I'd better go now, or Dad will be sending out a search party."

She sighed and ran back the way she can, unaware of all the people who at that moment where feeling sorry for her.

The next year was the hardest time she'd ever experienced. Now she knew why everyone crept around her parents room, why nobody sang or laughed anymore, why she was packed out of the house so often. She'd often wondered these things quietly to herself, and now that she knew, it didn't give her any satisfaction. But the talk Frodo had given her did nothing to improve her mood, neither did it change the way she acted.

For the first few months she sat in total silence when possible. Nothing anyone said could make her feel better, not Sam, or her Father, or her Nan, nor Frodo or Bilbo. Most questions were met with a brief nod or shake of her head, and answers were given in a few short words.

When Merry and Pippin came round, she didn't bother to greet them, nor pester to go on the walks they went on. When she was invited, she was sullenly quiet to Merry, Sam and Frodo, and snapped at Pippin.

The next few months nobody could get anything out of her. She was completely silent, and would simply go of for hours, and sometimes days, at a time, and then come back without any explanation. Pippin was sent once to see what she was doing, but after coming back once with a twisted ankle, the others didn't feel like sending him anymore. On her birthday, the little eight year old just sat there, while the other members of the family tried desperately to get her to talk, but to no avail.

As the years passed, she stayed out of the hole steadily, till on her tenth year of age she was a different hobbit, hiding from her family, and only talking to her friends. Talk started round the shire, saying that the "Gamgee girl" was getting wilder even than the Brandybucks, and the Gamgees held their breath.

Sam came in from the garden, wiping his hands on a towel Marigold had shoved into his hands, and sat down at the table. From there he could hear and see his Grandmother and Lobelia Sackville-Baggins conferring anxiously in the sitting room. He could hear the shocked voice of Lobelia, hissing...

"Trampling in that Cotton farm...that ridiculous Estella Bolger...dress completely ruined...She's bringing disgrace on your whole family Margaret, what ARE you going to do?"

Margaret nodded sourly, "It's not the first time I've seen it. Trampling round, muddy as the floor, sometimes even in old breeches and tunic! It's definitely not becoming for a young girl her age, and why! Going around with those girls, one nine years her elder, and not one of them with a bit of pride! Mixing and gallivanting with Brandybucks and Tooks! Though that's stopped a bit since she heard about her ridiculous mothers illness."

The next part of the talk was all about slandering off Bella and Cath Gamgee, and I'm sure you would not want to hear it. As Sam turned round in disgust, he saw Marigold throw down her tea-towel, a look of pure hatred for the two ladies on her face.

"Sam, go down to the market, and get some eggs." she said, "We've run out." He walked out, leaving his sister ashen-faced behind him.

As he came back, a sneering fourteen year old boy came up to him. He recognised the face as Ted Sandyman, a young lad who hated anyone outside Hobbiton, and made Sam's life a misery when possible, though Sam was seven years the elder of him.

"Hey Sam," he sneered, coming up to him, "Your sister; you'd better pack her of to Buckland like her two dumb friends."

"Oh, and why is that?" Though Sam's voice was steady, he was panicking. Though Ted was a spiteful little brat who told lies for the fun of it, Sam was sure he was not lying. There was gleeful malice in Ted's eyes, but no lie.

"Because she's loony! Just like those Tooks and Brandybucks. But I guess you wouldn't want to hear anything bad about your saintly sister." He had the pleasure of seeing Sam's troubled face for a few seconds, "But I guess I'll tell you. Me and Olco were down at the market, and we started chatting to her, friendly like. But instead of chatting back like any sane person would, she pushed both me and Olco straight in the mud."

Sam was torn halfway between amusement and annoyance. He was suddenly aware of Ted staring at him dangerously.

"Now that ain't very nice, is it? Neighbours should be nice to each other, shouldn't they? There was no call for that."

Sam's thoughts came back to earth with a crash. Ted was right for once, there WAS no call for that. Cath was upset, and rightly so, but she couldn't be treating every one else like this. He turned and strode up the hill to the Gamgee's hole, swallowing nervously. He met his Nan in the hall and, as he told her, he saw the kind face slip from inquisitive to anxious. The old lady sighed.

"Well, we'll have to tell your father, and then I suppose that him and I shall have to punish your sister. I guessed that this would happen." The two went into the kitchen together, leaving the front door ajar. Well, they would hear if anyone came in, wouldn't they?

Bess Clarker ran as fast as she could down to the old barn. It was where Cath had been hiding out, and getting support from Bess, Rosie Cotton, Estella Bolger and Estella's seventeen year old cousin Lilly Bracegirdle. Though she was fifteen, five years older than Cath and far too old for that kind of stuff, Bess had been hiding in 3, Bagshot Row, listening to the entire conversation of the two. She crawled under the gap in the wall, swung herself up onto the narrow beam that Cath and Lily were perched on, and faced Cath.

"Boy, Cath, you are in so much trouble this time. Ted told Sam about you mud-splatting Ted and Olco Sandyman down at the market."

A small grin appeared on Cath's face. She shook her head and muttered, "He was asking for it. I suppose Ted conveniently forgot to mention that the "little chat" was really telling me how Mother would have her skin drop off when she died. Oh, and the fact that I'm going mad."

Lilly sighed, shaking her raven black hair, "What'll you do this time? Hiding out in Buckland worked once, but Merry and Pippin'll be looking out for you now. And this place is no good, Sam was looking around when I came in last week."

Cath groaned, "I have no idea. I'm not going back, not after Ted blabbed. They'll just look to Grandmother for support, for once, and then out comes the birch rod. And quite frankly, I choose life over that death trap."

Lilly shuddered. An encounter with Margaret Gamgee's china dishes had brought out the "death trap". It was not a nice feeling.

"Well, the first thing you need to do is not to decide where to go, but to pack. Go round the back way, through your window. Go on, go!" Bess called, repeating the drill they had performed so many times. Cath leapt down from the rafters, while Bess and Lily shuddered inwardly at what would happen if she was caught.

Pippin whistled cheerily as he made his way up the road to Bag End. Merry had gotten there a few days earlier, ready to make the preparations for Pippins thirteenth birthday. The party would, for once, be in Hobbiton, with the Tooks and Brandybucks making their way to Hobbiton, something that Bilbo had said, "he would enjoy, particularly when the Sackville-Bagginses saw the parties arrive." Then they would stay for four weeks, until Cath's birthday. Not that it would be much fun, if the last three birthdays were anything to go by. It wasn't the actual parties that were bad, but it was the hollow look in Cath's face that upset Pippin.

"Maybe she doesn't like being pitied" he thought to himself, "When we were friends she didn't, and maybe she doesn't like it still. That's all the others have done so far, pity her." A sudden thought came into his head, and he bent down a picked a handful of daisies. He straightened up and carried on walking, till he came to the Gamgees home. He glanced round quickly, then swiftly climbed into the garden.

As he looked around, he saw the window of Cath's room swinging open. It swung for a second, then a small bag was thrown out of it. As Pippin watched in surprise, Cath's body came out of it, eventually tumbling into the flowerbed. Pippin gave a yell of shock.

Cath's head whipped up, she grabbed Pippin's shoulders and dragged him into the shrubbery. She hissed, "Shut up! Do you really want my Grandmother to hear you! You're not even meant to be here!"

"But..."

"Shush! I'm going to let you up now, but don't make such a noise, or we'll both be trouble!"

The two stood up, Pippin rubbing his shoulders, "I still don't know why you had to grab me so hard."

"Because you'd have yelled. What were you doing in our garden anyway? I know it's your birthday soon, but I wasn't aware it was being held in our back garden." Although she was joking, she was intrigued, as she had heard the rumours about her, and wondered why Pippin still wanted anything to do with her.

"I was wondering where you were. Anyway, can't I even say hello to my friend anymore?" He grinned, as Cath looked up in surprise, and before she said anything, cut in, "Look Cath, I know what everyone says about you, but I still want to be your friend." He chuckled, "That is, if you'll let me."

She started, "But I was really horrid...do you really want to still be my friend?" He nodded, and she grinned, looking down at the daisies, "Are those for your mother, when she comes down?"

Pippin turned a bright shade of red, "No, these are for you. Happy Birthday for whenever."

Cath beamed, and threw her arms round Pippin, hugging him, "Thank you Pippin, nobody's ever given me flowers before." As she took them, Pippin suddenly realised what Merry would say if he found out about this. Not that Merry could talk, if forcing Pippin into giving Estella flowers was anything to go by.

"Are you going to go in then, or are you running away?"

Cath looked down at her bag. "No, I guess I'll go in. But if I come out again unscarred it'll be a flipping miracle."

As Pippin followed her down to the front door, he felt a dip in the pit of his stomach. It was something that, as a small child, he had heard Merry telling Esmarelda Brandybuck about, something that he had had shivers about for weeks when Esmarelda had told Merry what it meant. No, he thought, this is just your imagination. But anyway, he decided to keep it to himself anyway.

After the two birthday parties, everyone fell into a pre-summer laze. As Cath and Pippin were not prone to lazing, and Cath had cheered up somewhat considerably, the two spent most of their time forest-exploring and parlour raiding. A particular parlour raid was planned for this very afternoon, in 3, Bagshot Row, but there was one person, name of Sam, who was refusing to go into the garden, therefore spoiling the entire plan.

"But Sam, we'll be alright in here in our own I'm thirteen and Cath's eleven, for flips sake!" protested Pippin.

"No, I'm not going put into the garden and letting you to get up into heaven knows what kind of mischief. I'm staying right here." Sam told him.

"But Rosie will be here!" lied Pippin. Cath gave him a death glare as he realised that that would just make Sam want to stay in even more. She then smiled sweetly and said, "Oh yes, I suppose you should stay here after all Sam. After all, Rosie will be wanting to have a nice chat with you, and we wouldn't want to stay in the way of that."

Sam turned a bright shade of red and turned to the back door, mumbling some unhearable words. Cath and Pippin gave each other high-fives and made their way down to the cellar. There was a door, then a passage way with a ladder going down to the cellar. The two blew the candle out in the passage way, for if the outside door was open there would be enough light to see what they were stealing.

"Hurry up!" squeaked Pippin as Cath made her way down the ladder, "I still don't know why we can't bring a candle down here."

"I told you, because it'll be seen. Besides, there is enough light to see from here. Cummon, lets get a move on."

The two gathered up some pies and walked cautiously back to the ladder. As Cath touched it she stopped and crouched, Pippin mimicking her. They heard Merry's voice calling, "Well they aren't in here. I don't know why this door's open, anyone could barge into it." There was a creaking sound and then...

DARKNESS.

"AAAAAHHHHHH!" Two shrill hobbit voices screamed out. Cath was the first to stop.

"It's no good yelling, no one will hear us. What ARE we to do? It's pitch black in here, and I can't see anything."

Pippin shrugged, "Maybe if we had Sting with us it could light up the way, and we could get to the ladder and get out."

Cath, the more practical of the two, shuddered, "Oh don't say that Pippin, you know Sting only lights up when there are orcs around, and Bilbo says they're the most fowl things around, and he must be right, for Frodo calls Farmer Maggots dogs the orcs. Besides, while you were screaming I heard Merry lock the door, so we're stick here till someone fancies a snack."

It was not a very comforting thought. Pippin shuddered and slid down onto the floor, Cath following. As he was debating whether to start yelling again, he felt with surprise (again) Cath's head resting lightly on his shoulder. A jolt in Pippin's stomach reminded him of the feeling a month ago. He dismissed it, and "more outof being friendly" as he said to himself afterwards, put his arm round Cath. If it was a little bit lighter he would have seen first of all a surprised look on Caths face, followed by a happy smile.

It was two hours later when they got up again. Cath had in fact been dozing slightly, but had been woken by the racket upstairs. And what a racket! There was shouting, and hurried footsteps, and two names being shouted. Cath and Pippin.

Pippin scratched his head in confusion. Before he had time to wonder what was going on, the door to the cellar burst open (half blinding the two) and Sam, Frodo and Merry came through.

"They're not in here indeed!" Frodo snapped at Merry, "Honestly Merry, if you had actually looked, you could have saved us a lot of trouble." Merry, for once, was looking ashamed of his actions, and said so.

"But what's going on?" Cath asked, as she dragged up the ladder by Sam, "What's all the fuss about Sam, there's been tons of noise, and you could wake Mum, and your not being very considerate to her are you?"

Pippin noted at once the shocked looks on the three elder faces around him. Merry immediately saw this and shoved a hand over Pippins mouth. Sam said nothing, but continued dragging Cath out into the hall.

"Merry, you take Pip out, I'm sure he won't want to be around." Frodo told Merry, who agreed. The two elder hobbits hurried Cath along the corridor, while Merry, with a rather pale face, as Pippin always remembered, dragged Pippin outside.

"What's going on?" Pippin yelled at him, "I don't understand, what is it Merry?"

Merry turned and looked at him, but before he had a chance to explain the two whipped around at the frightened scream that came from the hobbit-hole, "MAMA!"

The next day the two hobbits made their way glumly along the road. Merry hung his head, thinking of the grief that would cover the whole family. Pippin however, still didn't know what was going on, Merry having never told him. After the dreadful scream was heard, Merry had dragged Pippin away by the arm, not speaking and not caring that he was pulling Pippin's arm out of his socket, as Pippin informed him afterward.

Merry was in fact busy thinking things over. How was Cath going to cope? What would Pippin say to her? Would he come out of it alive? These thoughts were stopped by a yell from Pippin. He turned just in time to see him hurtling off, yelling, "I can hear a girl crying!" Merry had a very shrewd idea of what girl that was.

He ran after Pippin, finally catching him up and grabbing him by the neck at Bywater pool. The two fought each other for five minutes before Pippin rolled out of Merry's grip and kicked him in the stomach, saying, "Look, there's the girl I was telling you that I heard; over there." Merry looked up and saw a young hobbit lass bending over the water crying her eyes out. It was Cath.

Pippin gasped, evidently seeing the young girl. "Merry, it's Cath! What's the matter with her, why's she crying?" He started to run over, but Merry lunged, grabbing him around the waist and hissing, "If she's crying, don't you think it'd be kinder to leave her alone?"

Pippin glared at him, giving him a look that quite clearly said, 'I don't care, she's my friend.' He struggled out of Merrys grip and ran over to Cath. "Cath, what's the matter? Are you alright?"

The young maiden tried hard to keep her gulping sobs down, "I...c'can't stay...at home...the funeral wi-will be s'soon,...and every-one is p'preparing f-for it."

Pippin whipped round, his pale face staring at a guilty looking Merry. He turned again and stuttered, "Funeral? Cath, what's happened?"

Cath burst into wracking sobs. Pippin caught her around the shoulders and gently pushed her down onto the bank, supporting her like a frail doll. She gasped for breath and turned to him, her eyes tear-filled. "Oh, Pippin." she moaned, "Mum's dead!"

* * *

Well? Did you like? Can you _tell_ me if you like? Please? (puppy dog eyes) 


End file.
